Iraq crackdown in Amarah continues; cleric's followers allege harassment
AMARAH, IRAQ — Iraqi security forces waging a crackdown on gangsters and militiamen in the southeastern city of Amarah arrested at least 45 more suspects Friday, drawing complaints of heavy-handedness from representatives of influential Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr.
The operation, which has met little resistance since it began Thursday, is part of a drive to restore government authority in areas of the country that have fallen under the control of armed Sunni and Shiite factions, including Sadr's followers.
A similar crackdown in the southern port city of Basra in March sparked fierce fighting with Sadr's Mahdi Army militia there and in the Baghdad district of Sadr City.
The cleric's followers accused rival factions in the Shiite-led government of using the Basra operation to sabotage their movement ahead of provincial elections this fall. More than 1,000 people were killed in clashes, which quickly drew in U.S. and British forces.
To avoid further casualties, Sadr's representatives said the cleric had ordered his fighters to cooperate with the crackdown in Amarah, a Mahdi Army stronghold and reputed smuggling hub for weapons from Iran.
Adnan Selawi, who heads Sadr's office in Amarah, told the Reuters news agency that the cleric's followers in the city had hoped the crackdown would be professional. "But unfortunately we found many breaches and violations," he said, accusing security forces of harassing civilians, random shootings and beatings.
Another Sadr representative, however, told The Times that the cleric's populist movement would continue to cooperate with the security forces.
"There are orders from his eminence Muqtada Sadr to not react," said the official, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons. "No one will object to the authority of the state or the army."
Sadr's movement dominates government institutions in Maysan province, and scores of government employees have been detained in the crackdown, including the mayor of Amarah.
Among those arrested Friday were 20 policemen accused of using their positions as cover to kidnap and kill, said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The director in charge of provincial irrigation projects also was apprehended after weapons were found at his office, the local police command said.
